


Bring On The Monsters

by buoyantsaturn



Series: solangelo week 2020 [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alive Bianca di Angelo, Canon Rewrite, M/M, i put a LOT of thought into this bad boy so bear with me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24742894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buoyantsaturn/pseuds/buoyantsaturn
Summary: A rewrite of the percy jackson series? starring solangelo instead? it's more likely than you think
Relationships: Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: solangelo week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1789198
Comments: 89
Kudos: 187
Collections: Solangelo Auctober 2020, Solangelo Week 2020





	1. Bianca Goes Bullfighting

**Author's Note:**

> NO i will not be rewriting the series like, word for word. just like fun scenes that i wanna do. first two chapters written for solangeloweek2020 and we'll see about the rest
> 
> enjoy!!

Some things happened too fast for Nico to register. Bianca often talked faster than Nico could process the words, and he couldn’t play a lot of action-heavy video games because his character always died before Nico ever saw the attacks coming. Other times, time seemed to drag on around him, like he was the one moving at the speed of light, but the world wasn’t turning beneath his feet. He didn’t know which feeling he hated more.

It always felt so  _ unnatural _ whenever he seemed to move out of sync with time itself. Like his mind was straining to either speed up or slow down, but it couldn’t figure out which was which. Eventually, when he finally figured out why he had felt this way, he couldn’t decide if things had really made  _ more _ or  _ less _ sense. 

See, his father - a man Nico had only met once or twice that he could remember, but even that seemed to get foggier and foggier the more he tried to think about it - had decided to send Nico and Bianca on a little vacation. A week in some hotel a few blocks down from the hopping Vegas Strip, supervised but only the dead-eyed employees who wouldn’t let them so much as crack a window in their bedroom for fresh air. 

When they finally left, it wasn’t their father that picked them up, but his lawyer - a grouchy woman with her hair pulled into a bun so tight that it lifted all of the wrinkles she  _ should  _ have had. She had ushered the children into a car without letting them enjoy the sun and the breeze for even a second, and refused to answer any question the two of them had (like: “How did they build so many new hotels so fast?” and “Why is everyone dressed funny?” and “Where are we going?” and “When can we see our mom again?”) 

Even outside of that hotel, with wind blowing through his hair from the cracked-open car window, Nico felt like he was moving outside of time. Nothing looked familiar anymore, besides the green grass on the roadside and the blue sky above. The cars were smaller and shinier than anything Nico had ever seen, and every inch of roadside was covered in advertisements. Somehow, without him noticing the passage of time, they’d wound up in New York, speeding down country roads as the ground started to shake behind them.

Nico turned around in his seat and knelt on the cushions so that he could look through the back window. It was dark outside, and it had just started to rain, so he couldn’t make out any distinguishable figures - until lightning struck. The flash was so bright that, for just a second, Nico could a hulking shape a few hundred yards behind them - like a man who took bodybuilding too seriously, or a bull that learned how to run on its hind legs. 

Nico grabbed his sister’s shoulder and began to shake it. “Bia, look! There’s something out there!”

Bianca glanced over her shoulder, but turned back around soon after. “You’re seeing things, Nico.” 

“You didn’t even  _ look!” _ Nico argued, tugging on her shirt sleeve. “It’s like a giant guy running after us! He was  _ right there, _ I swear!” Lightning flashed once more, and Nico saw the figure again, closer, clearer, spotting two pointed horns on the top of its head. “There it is! It’s closer now!”

That made Bianca move. She turned around, mirroring her brother’s position, and stared out the window. “Nothing can run as fast as a car, Nico, you know that. And I don’t see  _ anyth--” _ Another flash, and Bianca screamed. The creature was  _ right there, _ almost close enough to touch, and it  _ jumped. _ It tried to grab onto the back of the car, but the rain-slicked metal left nothing to hold onto, so the creature fell, but not before taking off the back bumper.

The car swerved for a moment, and the lawyer shouted, “Children, in your seats!” The car picked up speed, but it wasn’t much - that creature could easily catch up again.

Suddenly, the back window shattered, and the bumper was wedged in between Nico and Bianca as they screamed. The car swerved again, this time going off the road and colliding with a tree. Nico’s head hit the back of the seat in front of him, leaving him dazed, the ringing in his ears overpowering the shouting going on around him. Somebody grabbed his arm, and he was pulled underneath the bumper and out the opposite side of the car. He thought he heard the lawyer shout, “Up that hill! To Percy’s tree!” but he was starting to think this was all a dream.

His feet carried him close behind Bianca, but he couldn’t feel when they hit the ground beneath him - not until he slipped on the soaked grass and fell face-first into the mud. Bianca tugged him up again. They kept running. He glanced over his shoulder, watching as the bull-man figure approached the abandoned car, and the lawyer jumped out - except, no, he didn’t remember the lawyer having  _ wings. _

She scratched the creature with hands like talons, but before she could fly away, a big, meaty hand reached out and pulled her down by a leg. The lawyer was slammed against the round, and Nico watched her dissolve into a coppery powder.

He was dreaming. He  _ had  _ to be.

Bianca continued onward, up the hill toward a giant willow tree. If it hadn’t been for her vise grip on his hand, Nico never would have been able to catch up. He kept slipping and tripping, and his head was starting to pound. He flinched at every flash of lightning that seemed to burn his eyes. 

Then that thing caught up.

It grabbed his leg and pulled him away from Bianca, raising him into the air. It took a moment to sniff him -  _ gross  _ \- before Nico was dropped. He managed to catch himself on his hands before his head hit the ground, but something in his arm snapped with an audible  _ crack!, _ so painful that Nico’s vision blacked out.

* * *

“--and I mean, Chiron said that the two of you are probably going to be really powerful, but I don’t think I was supposed to hear that. But, you know, maybe he shouldn’t talk to himself so much when just  _ anybody _ could be waiting around the corner, right? But, like, I mean, your sister killed the  _ Minotaur, _ with her bare hands! That  _ must _ mean you two are powerful, but I just wish Chiron  _ told _ me what was going on, you know?”

Nico didn’t know where he was, or who this blond boy was that kept rambling at him, but since Nico didn’t know what to say, he found himself, for the first time, speechless. 

After probably five minutes of listening to this kid, the boy finally looked at Nico to see that his eyes had opened. “Oh! You’re awake! Let me get you some water!”

He jumped out of his seat and turned his back to Nico, filling up a glass of water from a pitcher that sat on the other side of the room. He helped Nico sit up before handing him the glass. “How are you feeling?” the boy asked as Nico drank. “You had a concussion, and I’ve never fixed one of those before, but I think I did okay, you know, since you woke up again. So? Does your head hurt?”

Nico shook his head. “Um. What happened?”

The boy frowned at him. “Do you have memory loss? Maybe that concussion was worse than I thought. What’s your name?”

“Nico.”

“Do you know where you are, Nico?”

He shook his head again.

“You’re in the infirmary at Camp Half-Blood. Do you know what year it is?”

Nico hesitated. “Um. 1939?”

The boy looked shocked for a second, then laughed. He had a nice laugh. “Okay, I get it, you’re messing with me. You and your sister were fighting the Minotaur last night, but you got knocked out. I treated you for your concussion, and now you’re caught up!”

“Treated me? But you’re just a kid.”

He grinned at Nico. “So are you.”

Nico frowned. “What about my arm? I thought I broke it.”

“Oh! You did! I fixed that, too.”

“In one night?”

“Yeah, I’m good like that,” the boy said, looking awfully proud of himself.

“What’s your name?” Nico asked.

He looked surprised at the question. “Me? I’m--”

“Hey, Will,” somebody else called out, stepping into the doorway - he looked like he could be the boy’s older brother, with the same freckles and blond hair. “Chiron said to tell him as soon as this kid wakes up. You promised me I could trust you on this one, right?”

“You can!” the boy - Will, Nico figured - exclaimed. “I was just making sure his concussion was healed! We’re going right now, I swear!” He jumped up and grabbed Nico’s hand, tugging him out of bed. “C’mon, Nico!”

They brushed past Will’s brother and out of the building until they were on a large, white porch that seemed to wrap around the side of a house. Will pulled Nico around the bend and up to a card table, at which three of the four seats were filled - one by Bianca, the other two by a couple of grown adult men. 

One of them, a man with a friendly smile and a brown beard, says, “Ah, Nico! You’re finally awake. Please, take a seat. We need a fourth for Pinochle.”

Nico hesitated, then let go of Will’s hand and sat down in the open chair, next to the other man who was covered in leopard print from head to toe. 

“Will,” the first man said, “please go to Cabin 11 and make sure Luke has prepared enough space for Bianca and Nico.”

“Yes, sir!” Will said, and turned on his heel to leave.

The bearded man folded his hands on the table and turned his attention to Nico and Bianca. “Now, I’m sure the two of you have plenty of questions. Where would you like to start?”

Nico couldn’t wrap his head around any of it. He was supposed to believe that he was the child of a  _ god? _ He was going to have crazy powers and learn how to fight with a sword? Don’t get him wrong, it was the  _ coolest thing he’d ever heard, _ but how could it be  _ real? _

Bianca had gone off to make friends as soon as Chiron had finished explaining things to them, but Nico couldn’t make himself leave the Big House. If he stepped out into that world, then everything would become real. So instead, he sat on the porch steps, arms wrapped around his knees, and watched the campers around him.

After a short while, someone came to sit next to him. It was Will, who immediately started picking at a bandaid on his scraped knee. “It’s crazy, right?”

“Huh?” Nico was pretty sure he wasn’t talking about a little bit of peeled skin.

“The whole  _ gods _ thing. You understand what’s going on, right?”

Nico huffed. “I  _ get  _ it. I don’t think I  _ like _ it.”

“Yeah, it’s a lot to take it. I hear it gets easier once you’re claimed.”

“Claimed?” Nico repeated. “What’s that mean?”  
“It’s like… So, I know who my mom is, because she raised me, but I don’t know who my dad is, because he’s a god. But I don’t know _which_ god. So claiming is, like, when my dad finally tells me who he is. Once you get claimed, you get to move into the cabin where all of your siblings are, and you get to do your activities with them, and you get to learn how to use your powers - if you have any.”

“Like you have. You healed me.” Nico said. “So you have healing powers, right? Who’s your dad?”

Will blushed and looked away. “Okay, so, I might have...lied to you about that. See, I really,  _ really _ want my dad to be Apollo, because then I’ll get to hang out in the infirmary all the time and learn how to heal people, but… Lee actually healed you, not me. All I can do is give people ambrosia, and even then I have to have Lee portion it out for me.”

Nico frowned. “But… You and that other guy, you look so much alike. I thought you were brothers.”

That seemed to perk Will up again. “You think so?” Nico nodded, and Will’s smile brightened. “Okay, who do you think your parent is?”

Nico shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I can help you narrow it down! Is it your mom or your dad?”

He tried to think, but it was like something was blocking his memories. He couldn’t remember who had raised him. He tried to remember his mother, but the only face he saw was Bianca’s. Did he even  _ have _ a mother?

“I...don’t know.”

“Oh. I mean, that’s okay! Let’s go through your options.” Will reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small deck of cards. “Have you ever played Mythomagic?”

Nico shook his head. 

“It’s this game where you can fight using the gods as your weapons. Kinda like Pokemon, you know?”

Nico didn’t. He nodded anyway.

Will started laying out cards between them, naming gods and explaining their basic roles in the universe. Nico noticed that Will had called Zeus and Poseidon  _ Big Three _ gods, but after he’d laid out the twelve cards for the twelve cabins at camp, Nico never heard the third name.

“Who’s the third Big Three god?” Nico asked, frowning down at the cards between them. 

Will started searching through the remaining cards in his hands. “Oh. I mean, there’s like, zero chance that you’re the child of a Big Three god, because they made this pact that they would never have children again. Because those kids are way too powerful, you know? And the last time the pact was broken by Poseidon, well…” Will’s eyes drifted toward the edge of camp, and Nico followed his gaze, but all he saw was a standalone willow tree at the top of a hill. “It didn’t go well.”

Will placed the thirteenth card on the step between them. “The last of the Big Three is Hades. He doesn’t have a cabin here because he doesn’t have a throne on Olympus. He’s kind of the black sheep of the family - the god of the dead and the Underworld. He hasn’t had kids since World War two, I think. So, it’s more than likely  _ not _ him. Besides, you kinda look more like an Ares kid to me, you know?”


	2. They (Don't) Capture A Flag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy last day of solangeloweek!! we've got claiming and capture the flag in this one!!

Nico and Will were inseparable. For what felt like the first time in his life, Nico finally had people who could look out for him aside from Bianca, and no longer felt the need to be glued to her side. Bianca was able to go off and make friends of her own, and so was Nico - so he spent all of his time with Will.

They sat together in the pavilion and the amphitheater, and they sparred together in the arena (Nico had taken to it much more quickly than Will had, but he wasn’t about to give up his sparring partner just for a little extra practice). They even moved their sleeping bags next to each other in the Hermes cabin so that they could whisper to each other past lights out. Suffice it to say, they did  _ everything _ together, and that spring was shaping up to be the best season of Nico’s life.

Then, on the first official day of summer, everything started going wrong. 

The camp was suddenly  _ bursting _ with campers, easily tripling in size in a single day. The members of cabin eleven practically had to sit on top of each other at dinner, and Nico was firmly pressed up against Will’s side at the campfire that night. They were in the middle of singing  _ Down by the Aegean,  _ and the campfire had burned so big and bright, when suddenly, everything stopped. The amphitheater grew quiet and Lee’s fingers stuttered on the strings of his guitar.

Nico felt everyone’s eyes lock on him - no, not him,  _ Will.  _

Nico turned to look at him as well, but found his eyes drifting upward, to a golden, glowing symbol that floated over Will’s head. 

Will’s eyes darted around the crowd with a look of slight panic, then settled on Nico when he asked, “Why is everyone looking at me?”

Nico couldn’t find a way to answer. All he could do was point up.

From across the fire, Chiron’s voice announced, “Hail, son of the healer and plaguebringer, sun raiser and musicmaker - Hail, William Solace, son of Apollo.”

Around them, campers began to kneel, so Nico decided to do the same. As soon as his knee hit the ground, he heard a chorus of cheers erupt from somewhere nearby, and suddenly Nico was being nudged aside as Will was pulled into a group hug. He watched as Will was hoisted up onto the shoulders of Lee and an older blonde girl that Nico had never met. 

Nico had to sit and watch as his best - and  _ only _ \- friend was carried away from him.

  
  


To be completely accurate, Will’s claiming had not been the beginning of the end. It had felt like that to Nico at the time, but really, things weren’t all that different. Sure, they didn’t get to stay in the same cabin, or sit at the same table in the pavilion, or do their activities together...but whenever their free time aligned, Will was always there to hang out with Nico.

Sometimes, it was like nothing had changed. Most of the time, Nico was lonely.

However, the start of summer meant that there were finally enough campers to play Capture the Flag each week, and it was quickly growing to be one of Nico’s favorite activities. Especially because the Hermes and Apollo cabins always teamed up. 

Being just a couple of kids, Nico and Will were typically sent off as border patrol, because they weren’t strong enough to act as offense or defense, but they didn’t really mind. Will was okay with being away from most of the action, and Nico was happy to be wherever Will was. 

Unfortunately, since Will had been learning how to heal, Chiron had asked him to sit out for the upcoming game to treat any campers who might get injured, which left Nico all alone. He was stuck on border patrol with a couple of Ares kids who he’d never met before, and spent most of his time during the game drawing shapes into the sand with the tip of his sword.

At some point, he heard a scream off in the distance, and when he looked up, his fellow patrol members had disappeared, likely off to patrol a different part of the creek. Nico got up and sheathed his sword, deciding to wander away as well, maybe toward the screaming he’d heard to get in on some fighting, but as soon as he started to move, he felt the ground shake under his feet. Looking up, he watched as a few large trees were knocked aside, as though a bulldozer had come through the woods. Nico dropped his gaze until he was looking directly in front of himself, and was immediately knocked onto his back with something pressing down on his chest. 

He started gulping down too much air, yet at the same time, the pressure on his ribs was so much that he felt like he couldn’t breathe at all. There was a  _ giant, black dog _ standing with one paw on his torso, and it was growling at a frequency that made the earth shake. The dog bared its sharp teeth and leaned closer, prepared to rip Nico’s head off, and Nico held up a hand as if to push it away.

The dog backed up. It lifted its paw and allowed Nico to scramble backward, though it watched him warily. Nico kept his hand up, thinking that that was the only thing preventing himself from being torn to shreds, and stared the creature dead in the eyes. 

Suddenly, someone was standing in between them, bow drawn and arrow pointing straight at the monster’s nose. “Don’t touch my brother!” Bianca shouted. “Get out of here before I kill you.”

The dog stopped growling. It turned around and started to retreat into the woods, but rather than walking away, it seemed to melt into the shadows. As soon as she was sure it was gone, Bianca dropped her bow and turned to Nico, pulling him into her arms.

“Are you alright?” she asked. “Did that thing hurt you?”

“I’m--” Nico said, still struggling to take in air. “I’m okay.”

When Bianca released him, Nico saw that almost the entire camp had gathered around them, staring at them in shock and awe, practically frozen in place. Even Chiron had appeared, his lower half shifting nervously before he finally settled into a bow. When he spoke, his voice was unsteady, more fearful than Nico had ever heard him sound: “Hail, the god of the Underworld, Lord of the dark and the dead - Hail Bianca and Nico di Angelo, daughter and son of Hades.”

The two glanced above themselves, spotting a floating black symbol overhead that seemed to absorb the light around them. Around them, campers fell to their knees, some averting their eyes, others unable to take their eyes away. Nico studied the faces of those who continued to stare at him and his sister - their expressions showed nothing but absolute fear.

Even Will’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!   
> make sure you check out all of the amazing art and moodboards made and fics written and all the other content that came out of this year's solangeloweek!! head over to solangeloweek on tumblr, or read the works in the solangelo week 2020 collection here on ao3


	3. Nico is Given a Quest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we love a 4 hour car ride twice in 3 days bc i sure did crank out 2 chapters of this fic and no i did not proofread them <3 enjoy <3

After their claiming, Bianca and Nico were shunned by the rest of camp - ignored, for the most part, though some chose to give them dirty looks and whisper just loud enough behind their backs that they could hear the insults. The already over-crowded Hermes cabin was even worse when some campers decided that they would prefer to lay practically on top of each other just to avoid sitting too close to either child of Hades. 

They had been told that as soon as they were claimed, they would be able to move out of the Hermes cabin and into a slightly less crowded space - hopefully one with two open beds so that they wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor anymore. Now, though, being children of one of the non-Olympian gods, they were still stuck in cabin eleven, and felt even more out of place than before. Their cabin mates refused to sleep near them, eat near them, train with them, or participate in any other camp activity with either Bianca or Nico. They couldn’t even talk to anyone but each other. 

After about a week of this treatment, Bianca went to Chiron and _begged_ for another place to sleep. Even if they still had to sit at the Hermes table during mealtimes and participate in activities with the rest of the campers, they could at least have peace while they slept. She pointed out the many empty cabins - Zeus and Poseidon were their uncles and Hera their aunt, couldn’t they sleep in one of those cabins instead? - but at the mention of their names, Chiron flinched and thunder rumbled across the sky. Nico thought he only agreed to stop Bianca from saying the names of the most powerful gods.

He gave them a bedroom in the Big House on the main floor, just down the hall from the entrance to the infirmary. They were invited to eat at the head table with Chiron and Mr. D during meals, and Chiron offered to make them a new activities schedule. They would still have to tag along with other cabins, but he would try to put them with different cabins each day so that they weren’t stuck with the same group of campers, all day every day. 

Hearing that, Nico was suddenly struck with the hope that he could see Will again, but that hope was immediately squashed by the memory of Will’s fearful expression at Nico’s claiming. He probably thought Nico was a monster, and wouldn’t want anything to do with him.

Their first activity away from the Hermes cabin was Arts and Crafts with the Hephaestus cabin. It was the first time either child of Hades had stepped into the camp forge, and Bianca wouldn’t let Nico out of arm’s reach. There were too many campers there that didn’t like them, and too many dangerous tools and weapons that could be used against them. 

They both shied away when the cabin’s counsellor approached them. He seemed to notice their apprehension, and kept his distance, showing his hands to let them know he was unarmed. “Bianca and Nico, right?” he asked. “I’m Beckendorf, head counsellor of the Hephaestus cabin. I know you’re both probably pretty wary of everybody right now, but you should know that to me, you two are just a couple of campers. I mean, you only _just_ learned who your dad is, right? So it’s not like you had anything to do with what happened on Olympus during the solstice. You’re cool by me, so if any of my siblings give you any problems, just let me know, okay?”

Bianca nodded, though she didn’t loosen her grip on Nico’s arm. Nico wasn’t so quick to agree with everything he said. “What happened on the solstice?”

Beckendorf’s eyes widened, like he’d let slip some huge secret. “Uh, Chiron didn’t tell you? I thought he would’ve, considering, you know, what your dad did and everything…”

Nico’s head tilted in confusion. “What did he do?”

“You know, if Chiron didn’t tell you, then I probably shouldn’t either,” Beckendorf hurried to say, waving the topic off entirely. “So, anyway, a couple of powerful demigods like you two are gonna become, you’re going to need some equally powerful weapons. What do you say, want me to help you forge something?”

Any apprehension Nico felt faded away in favor of excitement. “Yeah!” he exclaimed, practically bouncing in place already. 

Beckendorf grinned at him, then turned to Bianca. “What about you?”

She hesitated before responding, “Maybe another time. I’ll help with Nico’s for now.”

Beckendorf shrugged. “Suit yourself. Follow me over here, kiddo.”

* * *

Nico started spending whatever free time he had with Beckendorf to make a three-foot-long Celestial bronze sword that Bianca was certain would be impossible for Nico to wield. Beckendorf really must have been a master blacksmith, though, because Nico was easily able to lift the almost-finished weapon, despite the fact that it was nearly as long as he was tall. 

Bianca was finally starting to let her guard down around the Hephaestus cabin, too. Most of the cabin had warmed up to the two children of Hades, and Beckendorf had proven himself trustworthy in her eyes by treating Nico so well. He’d almost won her over completely, but decided to teach Nico how to sharpen the blade of his new sword, which resulted in the near loss of one of Nico’s fingers. To anyone else, it would have clearly been an accident, with no one really to blame, but Bianca was still jumpy, and immediately started pointing fingers as she rushed Nico to the infirmary. 

The Apollo cabin hadn’t won over her trust, either, but Chiron had assured her once before that they took their job as healers very seriously, and never showed favor to one cabin over another - they prioritized according to the severity of the injury, and nothing else. 

Still, Bianca kept a close eye on Lee as he healed Nico’s hand, and stayed close as Will wrapped a bandage around the tiny remaining scratch across Nico’s palm. 

“How’d you get hurt?” Will asked, looking like he was concentrating a little too hard on a simple bandage.

Nico huffed. “Are you just asking because you’re in doctor training?”

Will looked up at him and pouted in confusion. “No, I’m asking because you’re my friend.”

Nico’s head shot up in surprise. “We’re still friends?”

“I thought so. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Nico said, glancing across the room as his cheeks colored from embarrassment. “I just thought… When I got claimed, you looked…scared, like everybody else. I thought you were afraid of me.”

“No way, I think you’re even cooler now. And!” Will held up Nico’s now overly-bandaged hand. “Now you have you first battle scar! _Super_ cool! So, how’d it happen?”

“Well, Beckendorf is helping me make a sword, and—“

“Woah, _really?_ That’s so cool! Charlie is the _coolest person ever!_ He helped me make a dagger when I first came to camp, and sometimes, even before I got claimed, he lets me try to heal him whenever he gets hurt! I mean, it was usually just, like, giving him ambrosia and bandaging his hands like I just did for you, but still!”

Nico’s head tilted. “You call him Charlie? Is that his name?”

“Oh!” Nico watched as Will’s cheeks grew pink, and his gaze dropped to the roll of bandages in his hands, his fingers picking at one fraying edge. “Um. Well, his name is Charles, but he told me that I could call him Charlie, but I think that’s probably supposed to be when it’s just me and him. Um. Don’t tell him I told you that, okay?”

Nico nodded. “Yeah, okay. Can I see the dagger you made?”

Will grinned at him. “Only if I can see your sword!”

* * *

Nico had been having trouble sleeping in the Big House. He’d gotten used to falling asleep to the sounds of snoring in the Hermes cabin, and Bianca was a silent sleeper. He could hear every creak of the house as it settled during the night, and each sound startled him out of whatever semi-asleep state he had been in. 

He’d managed to convince himself one night that the house wasn’t simply settling, but that someone was wandering around where they shouldn’t be, and took his new sword with him to investigate. That was the point of his training, wasn’t it? So that he could fight off monsters and intruders before they could hurt him or his sister? 

Nico took a lap around the main floor of the house, but there wasn’t a single light on inside, nor any person or creature that he could see. He went up to the second floor, and still found nothing, and again on the third floor. Still, he thought he heard something shifting above him, despite the fact that he couldn’t find another staircase leading up. Finally, at the end of a hallway, Nico noticed a rope hanging from the ceiling, and tugged on it. He pulled open a trap door in the ceiling, and a ladder descended. 

He looked around the dark hallway to make sure no one had seen him before he climbed the ladder. At first, he couldn’t see much of anything in the attic, but after a quick glance around the room, he noticed a faint green glow peeking out from around shelves upon shelves of different knick knacks. Nico picked his way around the room, careful not to make too much noise and alert anyone else in the house to what he was doing, until he found the source of the glow. 

He almost jumped when he saw the figure sitting on her tripod stool, her tie-dyed dress moving in psychedelic waves of colors as luminescent fog moved around her. Nico couldn’t make out any distinct features on the figure in the dark, though she never seemed to move - only the fog around her did that, seeming to reach out for him, wrapping around him, nearly choking him. 

Her voice seemed to come from all directions.

_“You shall go west and face the god who has turned,_

_You shall find what was stolen and see it safely returned,_

_You will be betrayed by one who calls you friend,_

_Your journey shall be for naught in the end.”_

As soon as her words stopped echoing in his head, the fog and glow dissipated, and Nico fell to his knees coughing. He didn’t hear the trapdoor opening again behind him, only barely noticed the yellow light coming up from the hallway below. Nico scrambled to hide as someone climbed the ladder into the attic, but as soon as he heard the familiar sound of one particular god clearing his throat, Nico came out of hiding. 

Mr. D, somehow managing to look even more unhappy than usual, was glaring at Nico with his arms crossed. “I was trying to stay out of Zeus’s business, kid, but you just had to screw me over on that one, huh?”

“I’m sorry!” Nico said immediately. “I didn’t mean to sneak around, but I heard a noise and—“

“What did you hear?” Mr. D asked with more patience than Nico had ever heard from him.

Nico couldn’t remember. “Just…just noises, like—“

“No, not in the house. What did you hear from _her?”_ he tried again, nodding toward the figure on the stool. 

Nico turned, and barely held back a shout at the sight of the figure. Now illuminated, Nico could see a _corpse_ on that stool, dried out like some kind of mummy. “She’s _dead!”_ Nico exclaimed. “How can she talk if she’s _dead?”_

“You tell me, Underworld spawn. Try to repeat her exact phrasing; it’s important how things are phrased.”

Nico tried his best to repeat the poem word for word, stumbling once or twice, though he was surprised at how well he was actually able to remember it. 

Mr. D allowed himself a moment to absorb Nico’s words, then he nodded. “Yep, that’s a prophecy alright.”

“A prophecy?” Nico repeated. “Like, the future?”

“Loosely, yes.” Mr. D turned on his heel and started back toward the trapdoor. “C’mon, kid, you’ll need to tell Chiron everything.”

Nico hesitated. “Am I in trouble?”

“No.” Mr. D descended the ladder, then, after a second, his head popped back up through the trapdoor. “Well, not in any sense of the word that you’re familiar with. Hurry up, I don’t have all century.”

Nico didn’t think he’d ever understand what was happening. As soon as Nico told Chiron what had happened, Chiron called an emergency meeting of the head counsellors, which led to a gathering of some of the oldest demigods at camp - plus Annabeth Chase, the eleven-year-old counsellor of the Athena cabin - along with Nico and Bianca, all in their pajamas. They all sat around a ping pong table in the rec room, looking like the grumpiest slumber party on the Long Island Sound. 

Many of the campers were grumbling to each other as they waited for the final arrivals, and Chiron finally started the meeting with a few clops of his hoof. When the noise died down, he announced, “A quest has been issued.”

Annabeth slammed her palms down on the table and spluttered, _“What?_ To _who?”_

“The Oracle spoke to Nico di Angelo and spoke a new prophecy. I know you have wanted to partake in a quest, Annabeth, and while it wouldn’t be your own, this may be your only opportunity. That is, if Nico chooses you as one of his companions,” Chiron explained. 

“I’m going,” Bianca said suddenly. “I…don’t really know what’s going on, but Nico won’t be going anywhere without me.”

“A quest with _two_ kids of the Big Three?” Annabeth scoffed. “Sounds like a death sentence to me, no thanks.”

Luke elbowed Annabeth, muttering something that sounded like a reminder to _be nice,_ and Annabeth mumbled an apology as she slouched back in her seat with her arms crossed. 

Chiron cleared his throat. “This quest will be very dangerous, yes, just as all quests are. Before we discuss who will be the third on this quest, I believe we should try to decipher the prophecy and determine the best course of action for the di Angelos to take. Nico, if you could please recite the prophecy once more.”

Nico did, his voice shaky from nerves, though he tried not to focus on having so many eyes on him as he spoke. 

_“Go west and face the god who has turned,”_ Clarisse repeated. “Obviously that’s talking about Hades.” A few demigods shot her a look like, _don’t bad-mouth their dad in front of them!_ “What? The entrance to the Underworld is way out west, right? That’s why demigods aren’t supposed to go too far west. And I think we _all_ know he turned against Zeus. Who else could it be?”

“They’ll find the bolt, which Hades stole, and return it to Zeus,” Annabeth said, nodding along. “Sounds right to me.”

Nico and Bianca shared a confused look, then turned to Chiron, as if hoping for an explanation, though he didn’t seem to notice them.

Beckendorf cleared his throat. “Uh, I think we all need to be a little less vague. Bianca and Nico have _no_ idea what happened during the solstice.”

Chiron sighed. “Of course.” He turned to Nico and Bianca and started to explain. “On the solstices each year, once in summer and once in winter, the twelve gods gather on Olympus. Only during the winter solstice is Hades allowed to join them. This past winter, the gods allowed some of the year-round campers to take a sort of…field trip to Olympus to witness their council. Sometime, during the night, Zeus’s master lightning bolt went missing, and has yet to turn up. He has taken to blaming his brothers, Poseidon and Hades, as he tends to do, but seeing as Hades has recently claimed you two as his children, Zeus may take your claiming as _another_ admission of guilt.”

Bianca frowned. “What do you mean, _another?”_

“The Big Three made a pact,” Lee piped in. “After World War Two, they agreed to never have children again, because their kids are too powerful. Zeus and Poseidon have already broken it once, but now Hades is admitting to have broken it _twice.”_

“On top of that,” Katie Gardner said, “he’s probably trying to use you two as some kind of scapegoat.” 

_“Or_ to try to prove his innocence,” Silena Beauregard cut in. The demigods slowly devolved into arguments over Hades’s guilt or innocence.

Chiron cleared his throat. “To get back on topic,” he called, and waited for the room to quiet around him. He turned back to Nico and Bianca. “Do you understand, now? I believe that the focus of this quest will be to return Zeus’s master bolt to Olympus, and if we are to trust our interpretation of the prophecy, you will both need to travel to the Underworld and face your father in order to do so.”

“But what about the last two lines?” Bianca asked. “We’ll be betrayed by a friend, and the journey will be for _nothing?”_

Chiron looked uneasy. “Prophecies can mean…many things. It’s nearly impossible to determine what a prophecy _truly_ means until after the quest is complete. It’s best not to worry about these things too much.”

Bianca didn’t seem convinced.

“Unless anyone has anything else they’d like to bring up, then I think we can bring this meeting to an end,” Chiron continued. “If the di Angelos are able to find a third member of their party, then we shall send them off after breakfast in the morning.”

Nico scanned the faces of each of the counsellors, but they all seemed to be avoiding his gaze - much like they had right after he’d been claimed. 

After a moment, everyone stood from their seats and made to leave. Nico jumped up and blocked Beckendorf before he could make it out the door. “Beckendorf, will you come with us? Please?”

It looked like it pained him to say _no._ “I have to stay here to watch over my siblings, kiddo. If I wasn’t the head of my cabin, I’d go with you in a heartbeat. Tell you what, though, I’ll make sure your sword is finished before you leave in the morning, and I’ll make sure it’s sharp enough for you to cut any monster in half in a single swing.” He grinned and patted Nico on the shoulder, like a sharp sword was somehow _better_ than an experienced demigod chaperone. He left the room, and soon, Nico and Bianca were the only two remaining. 

Bianca wrapped her arms around Nico, and felt like she was being sent off to her death. 

Nico didn’t feel like he could really enjoy breakfast the next morning - it felt like a prisoner’s last meal on death row. He still hadn’t found a third member for the quest, and Bianca wasn’t being any help. She was acting like the entire camp had already given up on them. Everyone seemed to be avoiding their eyes at the pavilion, as well. 

When Nico went to turn his plate in, Will stopped in front of him. He held a backpack out to Nico and said, “Lee asked me to give this to you. It’s got a first aid kit, and some nectar and ambrosia, and a few snacks, and a little bit of demigod money and mortal money, just in case.”

Nico took the backpack from him and slung the straps over his shoulders. “Thanks, Will.”

“And, um. Good luck on your quest,” Will continued. “It’ll be weird being at camp without you after so long, but Chiron says you should be back by the solstice, so I guess that’s not too long.”

Nico’s head tilted. “Why does he think we’ll be back by then?”

Will frowned. “Because…it’s the _solstice._ Zeus and Poseidon are both gonna be back on Olympus at the same time, and if Zeus is still in a bad mood, then he’ll either try to start a war against Poseidon or Hades, which will _both_ be bad. It’s best to just get the bolt back to Zeus before the solstice to avoid all that.”

Nico didn’t know if he wanted to scream or cry. Why did _everybody_ know more about his quest than he did? Why wouldn’t they _tell him anything?_ It was like they wanted him to fail!

“Woah, what’s wrong?” Will asked, his eyes widening in something like a mix of surprise and fear. “What is something I said? I’m sorry, please don’t cry!”

Nico furiously wiped at his eyes and felt wetness on his cheeks. “Why doesn’t anybody tell me anything?” Nico exclaimed. “You know more about my quest than I do! Why doesn’t somebody _else_ go on this quest instead of me? I’m just gonna mess everything up!”

Will still looked a little panicked. “I’ll go with you!”

Nico froze. “You…will?”

“Yeah!” Will tried for a grin, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’ll be fun! You still need a third, right? I’ll be a great third! I…know stuff, and I’m a healer…kind of. And besides, we’re friends, right? It’ll all work out just fine!”

The third line of the prophecy rang through Nico’s head at Will’s words: _You will be betrayed by one who calls you friend._

He tried to ignore it. Chiron was right, worrying about it wouldn’t do anybody any good. Instead, Nico threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around Will. _“Thank you, Will.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! i'll probably proofread chapter 4 before i put it up so. thatll be a hot sec. see yall soon


	4. Nico Plunges to His Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow have i really had this chapter written for 3 months? sorry folks! i hold off on posting it to edit one scene and forget about it for the rest of my life. whoops! anyway this counts as apocalypse au right? the world's gonna end soon enough for these kids so let's say it fits. enjoy!!

They’d somehow managed to sneak onto a train to Missouri. Bianca wanted to wait for one that would take them further west, but Will was already starting to get jumpy about breaking the law. Nico had tried to argue with him that they weren’t really _stealing_ anything if they were just taking up unused seats on a train. Eventually, they almost missed the train to Missouri, and a few security guards had started to get suspicious of them, so they’d jumped onto the train before they could get caught. 

Even in Ohio, after they’d been on the train long enough for each of them to take a nap, Will couldn’t stop fidgeting. Bianca wasn’t helping - she kept telling Will to stop looking so suspicious - so Nico tried to distract him with that card game he’d taught Nico, Mythomagic. 

When the train finally stopped in Missouri, Nico noticed that there was a _lot_ more security in that station compared to the one in New York. Then, he realized that half of the security guards were actually _police officers,_ and his blood ran cold. They were going to get caught.

He tugged on Bianca’s arm. “The police are here! They know we didn’t pay for the train!”

Bianca slapped a hand over Nico’s mouth. “Shh! Don’t say that so loud, or they’ll hear us!”

“Uh, guys?” Will said. “I think they found us.”

“Okay, _run!”_ Bianca told them, and grabbed Nico’s hand before she took off away from the cops. Nico barely had a chance to take Will’s hand as he was pulled away. The three wove through the crowds, sneaking between legs and staying low to keep from being seen from above the crowd. They turned down a hallway and lost their crowd cover, but they’d created enough space between themselves and the police officers that they could safely escape down the hallway. 

They didn’t slow down once they’d made it outside. They kept to crowded areas, shoving past people to find someplace to take cover for a short while, and found themselves inside some sort of museum. 

“I think we’re safe here,” Nico whispered, but then Will grabbed his hand and yanked him to the side. 

“Not yet!” Will hissed, and ducked down a hall with Nico and Bianca in tow. They found themselves in a line for some exhibit, and then they were shoved into an elevator - just the three of them, and some old lady with her emotional support chihuahua. 

“Puppy!” Will exclaimed, smiling brighter than the sun.

“Can I pet him?” Bianca asked, already reaching out, but Will pulled her hand back.

“You can’t pet therapy dogs, you’ll distract them from their job,” Will told her. 

Nico frowned. “It’s a dog, what kind of job does it have?”

“Sonny protects me,” the lady said.

“Sonny,” Will repeated, “is that his name?”

The lady smiled. “No.”

They rode the rest of the way up in silence. 

When the doors opened, there was only a small observation deck with thin windows on either side. 

“Where _are_ we?” Bianca asked, receiving a few odd looks from some nearby tourists.

Will looked out the nearest window. “It’s the St. Louis Arch! Look, there’s the Mississippi river!”

Nico stepped up next to him and looked out the window and down, and immediately became dizzy. “We’re so _high,”_ he said, stumbling backwards. “Do you think it’s safe to go back down now? I don’t think I like it up here.”

From a few feet away from the window, Bianca peered outside, and turned white as a sheet. “You’re right, Nico, I think we should go back down.”

Somebody bumped into Nico from behind, like they were rushing to get to the elevator. He looked over to see what they were trying to get away from, and heard growling come from that chihuahua they’d been in the elevator with. Suddenly, it barked, and the entire observation deck shook. 

An announcement came overhead: “Please make your way toward the elevator.” Somebody else shoved past Nico and shouted, “It’s an earthquake!”

Nico was half-tempted to point at the chihuahua and say, _No, it’s a dog,_ but when he looked at it again, it had grown to the size of a German shepherd, with a long tail like a lizard, and sharp talons on its feet. It kept barking, again and again, until it was _roaring,_ and barely fit in the room. 

Nico turned around, to see if Bianca and Will were seeing what he was seeing, but it looked like he was the only one left inside the arch. How did they all manage to leave so quickly? Why would they leave him behind? _You will be betrayed by one who calls you friend._ Was this Will’s betrayal?

Nico refused to think about it any more. He drew his bronze sword from its sheath on his belt, and pointed it at the creature in front of him. Its head had formed into something lion-like, and Nico swore it had some kind of face on its tail as well. The tail-face was drooling something green that seemed to melt through the floor. Poison, Nico decided, or some kind of acid. _Don’t touch._

He started to charge, prepared to swing - he hoped that Beckendorf really had made his sword sharp enough to cut a monster in half - but just before he could make contact the creature’s tail spit at him. Nico ducked out of the way just in time, then narrowly rolled out of the path of a ball of fire. 

The fireball blasted a hole in the side of the arch. 

“Seriously?” Nico shouted. “You breathe _fire,_ too?” _Okay, stay away from_ both _mouths,_ he decided. The tail should be a safest place to attack first. He tried to get around the creature’s side, but it followed his movements, and continued to spit acid out at him. He found himself at the opposite end of the arch from the elevator, with most of the floor between slowly disintegrating. 

“If you would just let me leave, I wouldn’t have to kill you,” Nico tried to reason with it, butit only growled back. Nico sighed. “Suit yourself.” He leapt forward and drove the point of his sword into the creature’s tail, pinning it down. The monster howled in pain, and swatted at Nico, sending him and his sword out one of the holes in the side of the arch. 

Nico was completely disoriented for the first second or two. He couldn’t feel anything, not even his likely-broken ribs. He couldn’t tell which way was up. It wasn’t until he saw the ground fast approaching that he thought, _I’m going to die. I wish I could’ve said goodbye to Bianca._ The next second, he felt cold, like ice. He should’ve been nothing more than a red stain in the shadow of the Gateway Arch, but instead, he warmed up, and he was standing beside his sister and Will on the ground. 

“That couldn’t be him,” Bianca said, her voice shaking, her eyes locked on the smoking hole in the side of the arch. “He had to make it out. He can’t be dead, Will, tell me he’s not dead!”

“Not dead,” Nico said, drawing their attention to him just as he lost consciousness.

* * *

Nico woke up in a park. He was laying in the grass under the shade of a tree, and Bianca and Will were sitting beside him, sounding like they were arguing about something.

He sat up slowly, holding a hand to the side of his head in an attempt to ward off his dizziness, and groaned, “What happened?”

Bianca gasped and immediately tackled Nico in a hug. “I was so worried! I thought you were dead, and then you were right next to me, and then you passed out! I thought you were dead _twice in two minutes!_ Don’t you _ever_ do that to me again!”

She finally released him after nearly choking him to death, and Nico turned to Will for an actual explanation. He was sitting a few feet away with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. 

“When we got separated from you in the arch, we waited by the elevators in the museum, but you never came out, so we went outside to try to find you,” Will said softly. “Then they said there was an explosion, or something, and they forced everybody away from the building, and there was _another_ explosion, and we looked up at the arch, and—“

“We thought it was you, but that’s not possible. Some…debris, or something, flew out of the side of the arch,” Bianca continued. “It… It looked like it could’ve been you, with your sword, but that’s not _possible,_ because you’re _alive.”_

Nico frowned. “It was me.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Bianca argued. “If it was you, you’d be dead. Are you telling me you’re dead?”

“No, but I _am_ telling you that I got thrown out of the arch. There was a monster up there that was spitting acid and breathing fire, and I tried to fight it, but it threw me out the side of the arch.” Nico stared out at the horizon as he tried to remember what had happened. “I remember falling. I was about to hit the ground, and I remember thinking, _I wish I had the chance to say goodbye,_ and then, instead of hitting the ground, I was standing next to you.”

“But…” Bianca fought to find her words, then huffed and spit out, _“How?”_

“I don’t know!” Nico shouted back.

Will shrugged his shoulders and offered, “Demigod powers?”

“Oh, sure, demigods can all _teleport_ now,” Bianca said sarcastically, throwing her hands up in the air before crossing her arms. “Why are we even bothering with trains and busses and everything when we can just _poof_ ourselves to California?”

“Can you stop arguing for two seconds?” Nico shouted. 

Bianca huffed again and said, “Sorry,” but it didn’t sound like she meant it. 

Will uncurled and started digging around in the backpack he’d given to Nico back at camp. “How are you feeling? Are you hurt at all? Or hungry?”

“Can I have a snack?” Nico asked, and Will handed him a granola bar. “So, where are we?” 

“Somewhere near Denver, Colorado,” Will supplied. 

“We _bought_ bus tickets,” Bianca said, “because _somebody_ was too afraid to sneak on another train, and the bus was cheaper.”

“I’m trying not to get us arrested before we finish our quest!” Will argued, raising his voice for the first time since Nico had met him. “If we listened to all of your ideas, we never would have made it out of New York!”

“Yeah, well, because of you, we’re out of money, and we only have four granola bars and some trail mix to get us all the way to California and back!”

“Why do you two keep _arguing?”_ Nico snapped.

“I have that effect,” a deep, gruff voice said from a few feet away. 

Three heads whipped to the side, where a man in a leather jacket was leaning against a motorcycle. He lowered his sunglasses - where his eyes should have been were sockets filled with flickering flames - and grinned at them. “Ares, god of war. Can I buy you kids some burgers?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!  
> check out solangeloweek on tumblr for more auctober stuff!!


	5. A God Buys Them Cheeseburgers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhh hey folks whats up back at it again writing this fic and maybe hopefully someday i'll actually finish it  
> for context in this chapter please note that waterparks were not invented until the late 1940s/early 50s! nico and bianca have no idea whats going on! enjoy!

Will and Bianca seemed hesitant to eat - or maybe they were both waiting for the other to drop their guard in order to attack - but Nico had no such reservations. Nico had picked the cheeseburger up off his plate practically before the waitress had had the chance to set it on the table. Something about that crazy teleporting he’d done had wiped him out and starved him half to death, but halfway through a burger and fries, he was already starting to feel much better. 

It was probably for the best that Will and Bianca weren’t so ravenous, because they seemed to actually pay attention to whatever Ares was saying. All Nico caught between bites was something about a favor in exchange for supplies and a ride closer to Los Angeles. 

“So, what do you say?” Ares said, lounging back in the booth and eyeing the three demigods who were all squished together on the other side. When none of them responded, Ares slammed a fist on the table, making all three of them jump in their seats, and he pointed a single finger at Nico. “You. This is your quest, right, kid? So?” 

Nico hesitated. “Um. So?” 

Ares looked for a second like he was going to burn them all to a crisp, but then his head twitched, barely noticeable, and he said, “Do me this solid, and I’ll give you just about everything you need to get a visit with your dear old dad - a temporary visit, even!” 

“Um.” Nico glanced to Bianca on one side of him, then Will on the other. They looked terrified, their plates still untouched. “Okay...sure?” 

“Great!” Ares’s hand hit the table once more, his open palm slapping the surface and making their plates rattle. He grinned, and looked less like he was going to burn them alive and instead was imagining tearing them limb from limb. “You kids finish up here. I’ll be waiting outside. Find me when you’re done with that...little task.” 

He stood from the booth, dropped some money on the table, and walked out the door. As soon as they were sure the door had closed behind him, Bianca slid out of the booth and sat back down on the other side of the table, facing the two boys. 

_ “Why _ would you do that?” she demanded. 

Nico felt himself starting to panic.  _ What _ exactly had he just agreed to? “I-- I dunno… You can’t say  _ no _ to a  _ god, _ right?”

“You can  _ try!” _ Bianca insisted at the same time that Will said, “Yeah, he’s right.” 

The di Angelos turned toward Will, one in surprise, the other still glaring at him. Will poked at the cooling fries on his plate. “If he said no, then Ares could’ve killed us on the spot. Or he could’ve convinced us to kill each other. It’s really better that Nico agreed. I mean, it can’t be any worse than running from the cops, right?” 

Bianca huffed. “I think you’re going to regret saying that.” 

The good news was that Will and Bianca had been listening to whatever Ares had been saying, so they knew the task at hand. More good news, the waterpark  _ (“Waterpark?” _ Nico had repeated, confused) that Ares was sending them to was only a few minutes’ walk from the diner. Bad news (or, technically, maybe still good news?), the place was abandoned, locked up with tall fences. 

Bianca seemed eager to get it all over with, so she was the first to start climbing the fence. She was already over the other side before Nico followed after her. Will glanced around nervously, only following when it seemed like Nico and Bianca might leave him behind. 

They were only a little bit distracted from their goal as they wandered through the waterpark - mainly because Nico and Bianca had never seen anything like it before. Will, at least, seemed to have a better understanding of the place, so Nico chose to believe it was just more popular to have these waterparks wherever Will was from.

Their other sidetrack came when Bianca found a small kiosk on their way to the back of the park - one that sold sunglasses, t-shirts, and supposedly-waterproof bags. She insisted that Nico change out of his own clothes, which had been ripped and burned from fighting the Chimera, though he refused to wear anything so  _ ugly. _

Eventually, when he seemed to get tired of hearing the two siblings argue, Will dropped his backpack on the ground and started digging through it until he pulled out a dark zip-up sweatshirt. He offered it to Nico, saying, “You can borrow this to hide the ugly shirt.” 

After that, Nico agreed no problem.

In another few minutes, Will stopped at another set of closed gates, squinting up at the sign over the ride’s entrance. “That says something about love, right?” 

Nico glanced up at the sign, but didn’t bother trying to read it. He hadn’t had much of a chance to learn how to read English since moving away from Italy, so he wouldn’t be of much help anyway. Bianca seemed to struggle a bit as well. 

“Thrill…ride?” she tried, sounding out the words. “Considering how many hearts there are, I’d guess so. Why, do you think this is the place?” 

Will shrugged. “It’s as good as any place to try. Ares said his girlfriend left something behind, right? Well, since his girlfriend is Aphrodite--” 

“Wait,” Nico cut in, “I thought you told me that Aphrodite was married to somebody.” 

“She is,” Will said with a nod, and didn’t wait for any follow ups. “This seems like the kind of place a love goddess would go on a date, right? So let’s go in and see.” 

Will hopped the gate - a much shorter one than was guarding the entrance - and Bianca rolled her eyes. “Sure, he has no problem breaking in over  _ here.” _

“It’s all the same place,” Nico pointed out, and followed after his friend. He checked over his shoulder after a moment to make sure that Bianca was coming too, and she was, but at a much slower pace. She seemed to take her time looking around, and eventually wandered off in another direction when her eye caught on something. Nico paused a moment, trying to decide who he should follow, but then Will called out to him.

“Nico, I think I found something!” he shouted, and then disappeared over the side of what looked to be a swimming pool. As Nico ran closer, he saw that it was empty, and Will was sliding down the side toward a grounded life raft of some kind. Nico hurried after him. Will stopped next to the boat, and when Nico got close, he pointed inside. “Do you think that’s it? This seems too easy, right?” 

Nico shrugged. “Maybe Ares is just lazy.” 

He stepped into the boat and picked up the scarf. It was pink and shimmery, so soft between his fingers that he didn’t even stop to think before brushing the fabric against his cheek. It smelled nice, too, and he was just about to stick his nose into it when from behind him, Will said, “Uh, I don’t think you should do that.” 

Nico spun around, having forgotten that he wasn’t alone, and stared at his friend in wide-eyed surprise. It was almost like there was something... _ different _ about Will, like Nico was seeing him through some kind of filter yet at the same time everything looked clearer than anything Nico could remember. There was some sort of ache in Nico’s chest, like he longed to be closer to Will in some way - but how was that possible? Will was already the closest thing Nico had to a best friend, how much closer could two boys possibly get? 

Something in the back of Nico’s head reminded him of the Oracle’s prophecy, that he would be betrayed by a friend, and Nico snapped out of his sudden, weird fog. Like a reflex, Nico threw the scarf into Will’s chest. 

“Okay, now we need to get out of here,” Will said, pointedly holding the scarf away from him, like he was afraid the glitter might rub off on his clothes. 

Nico looked skeptically at the steep sides of the pool. “How do we--” 

Something around them started to groan, below their feet and above their heads, like big pipes that had gone unused for some time finally getting water rushing through them again. From somewhere outside the pool, Nico heard, “Uh oh.” 

Will must have heard the groaning as well, but he seemed to think he could outrun it, because he had jumped out of the boat. Before he could get far, though, Nico pulled him back in, just as high-pressure water shot out of the grates in the walls of the pool. In no time at all, the boat was rocking under their feet and drifting toward some sort of outlet. 

Bianca rushed to the side of the pool as they started to float out of it. She reached a hand out, though she missed Nico’s outstretched hand by only a few inches before he and Will dropped were seemingly pulled out by a riptide. 

Will grabbed Nico’s hand. “Teleport us out of here!” 

“I don’t know how,” Nico told him.

With the hand that still held Aphrodite’s scarf, Will pointed downriver, where there was yet another locked gate blocking their path. If they didn’t abandon ship, they were going to be crushed. “If we don’t do something, we’re going to crash!” 

“You have to jump!” Bianca shouted, running alongside the river.  _ “Jump!” _

“Like, out of the boat?” Nico asked Will, gripping his hand tighter. 

“I think over the fence,” Will replied. “Count of three?” 

Nico nodded, then squeezed his eyes shut. He forced himself to trust Will’s judgement, only kicking off the seat of the boat when Will said  _ three, _ and opened his eyes when he felt himself flying. Just for a moment, until they both came crashing down to the hard pavement. 

Bianca was at Nico’s side almost instantly, patting his cheeks and checking him for injuries. “I’m so sorry, Nico, I was trying to turn on the machine so you wouldn’t have to climb down there! I didn’t realize you were already in the pool, and I didn’t think the thing was working anyway-- I’m  _ so  _ sorry!” 

Nico forced himself to sit up, wincing but putting on a brave face for his sister as he pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay,” he told her. “Thank you for trying.” A few seconds and a deep breath later, he pulled away and crawled toward Will. “Will? Are you okay?” 

Will had rolled onto his back, his breathing labored as he stared up at the sky. At the sound of Nico’s voice, he turned his head and smiled, holding up the scarf and exclaiming, “We did it!” 

Ares had been - well, not exactly  _ grateful, _ but he did trade them a backpack full of supplies for Aphrodite’s scarf, and then practically shoved them into the back of a moving truck seconds before the drivers stepped out of the diner. 

The three demigods were silent until they heard the truck’s engine come to life, and felt the wheels start to turn underneath them. Then they settled in as best they could, Nico and Bianca tucked together on a plastic-wrapped couch and Will spread out on the ground with a box as his backrest. He ate some of the ambrosia from his first aid kit, and Nico watched as a scrape on his cheek disappeared before his eyes. Then, Will took Nico’s hand in his own and closed his eyes, whispering something until Nico’s wounds stitched themselves closed as well. 

“That’s so cool,” Nico told him, pressing on his shoulder where a bruise had started to form, though he felt no pain at all. 

“Thanks,” Will replied, smiling, and then he tipped over and fell asleep, barely managing to land his head on his backpack as he did so. 

A few moments later, Nico and Bianca were following his lead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! i would LOVE to finish this fic eventually so. hopefully it won't be too long before the next update!


	6. They Take a Moving Truck to Vegas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello.......i wrote this chapter in. maybe an hour. i was serious yall i wanna get this OVER WITH i want to write OTHER BOOKS NOW and im SO CLOSE to being DONE with THIS ONE  
> anyway sorry this one's a little shorter but i hope u enjoy  
> ((also happy inauguration day!!))

Nico was woken up by a rustling sound, and sat up on the couch to find Bianca on the floor in front of him. She had dumped the contents of the backpack from Ares and seemed to be sorting through it all. It was food, mostly, and a wad of cash, plus a small pile of gold coins. 

“Bia?” Nico whispered, keeping his voice down since Will still appeared asleep across the way. 

She turned her head and smiled at him. “Are you hungry? Ares gave us some food.” Nico nodded, and she passed him a small package of Oreo cookies. “If you ever need anything, just ask, okay? But this time,  _ I’m _ going to be in charge of handing stuff out, so we don’t run out like last time.” 

Nico frowned at her as he ripped open the package. “You don’t need to be so mean to him.” 

Bianca rolled her eyes. “Why not? He’s an  _ idiot.” _

“So am I,” Nico shot back. “And he’s the only one who knows what we’re supposed to be doing out here. And… He’s my  _ friend.” _

“Yeah, sure,” she scoffed. “Don’t forget about the prophecy, Nico.  _ Betrayed by one who calls you friend. _ How many  _ friends _ do we have between us at this point? I won’t trust him until this whole thing is finally over and done with.” 

That reminder suddenly made Nico a lot less interested in his cookies. 

Then, a few minutes later, his  _ friend _ woke up. It only took a little bit of nudging to convince Bianca to give Will his own pack of cookies for breakfast. Then there was tension. 

Nico nudged her again when Bianca started glaring, and he hissed,  _ “Be nice!” _

Without bothering to whisper, Bianca replied, “I just don’t see why Chiron couldn’t make a more  _ experienced _ camper come with us.” 

Hurt flashed in Will’s eyes, and Nico could only watch as he seemed to curl up into a ball. “Chiron can’t force anybody to go on a quest,” Will muttered in reply. 

“He forced  _ Nico,” _ Bianca shot back. 

“No, he didn’t,” Nico told her. “I went willingly, and so did you. And if it wasn’t for Will, then we’d be all on our own out here.” 

Bianca huffed. “Well, what about that Annabeth girl? She seemed so desperate to go on a quest until she found out that we were going. Maybe if I had backed out, then you would have two  _ responsible _ campers on your team.” 

Will didn’t take the bait. Instead, he told them, “Annabeth has already been out in the real world with two kids of the Big Three. It didn’t go well for her. If I was smart, I probably wouldn’t have come, either, but I did because Nico’s my  _ friend.” _ He shot Bianca a glare, and missed the way that Nico flinched. 

“There are other Big Three kids?” Nico asked. 

“There were,” Will replied. “They were all trying to make it to camp together. Annabeth, and Luke, the Hermes cabin counselor, and Percy, a son of Poseidon, and Thalia, daughter of Zeus. They almost died, like, a bunch of times, and Thalia knew that it was because her and Percy smelled too good to the monsters, so she left them behind. She joined this group of hunters; they pledge their loyalty to Artemis, and they become immortal until they die in battle. She thought that leaving the others would mean they would be safer, but… Thalia was the strongest out of all of them. They were lucky they made it to camp at all, I guess.” 

“What happened to Percy?” Bianca asked. 

Will pulled his legs closer to his chest. “You know that willow tree at the camp’s border? That’s where Percy died. He sacrificed himself to save Annabeth and Luke, and… I mean, I wasn’t at camp, so I only know this from what Annabeth told me, but… She said that she prayed to Poseidon as Percy was dying, and Poseidon turned him into that tree, so he never... _ really _ died, I guess. And Thalia’s still alive, too, but nobody’s seen her since. So, I mean, maybe she  _ isn’t _ still alive.” 

“You…” Nico couldn’t seem to find his voice at first. “You knew you might die, and you still came with us?” 

Will shrugged again. “Well, sure. Anybody could die on any quest. I mean, this one time, Charlie went on a quest with two other people, but he was the only one that came back alive. Now that I think of it, I think he had to go to California for his quest, too.” 

Bianca had gone pale at some point, practically as white as a ghost as she wondered if there was any way that she might be able to contact those hunters of Artemis.

The next time the moving truck stopped, the three demigods scrambled to gather up their things and made a hasty exit from the back of the truck. And if a few boxes happened to tumble out with them, well, hopefully the owners had insurance. 

They’d jumped out at a red light, apparently, and had to run off the road so they weren’t hit by oncoming traffic. Bianca, though, kept running even after they were safely on the sidewalk, so Nico and Will had no choice but to follow. When Nico shouted after her to slow down, she replied, “We need to find some place to figure out our next move!” And she continued weaving through the crowded sidewalks. 

Will grabbed Nico’s hand and shouted, “In here!” Nico barely had a chance to grab Bianca with his other hand before Will was dragging him into the open door of a hotel, the air conditioning pumping cool, sweet-smelling air onto them. 

Something about that smell had Nico’s hair standing on end, and when he finally took a second to glance around, he felt like he might throw up. He squeezed Bianca’s hand, but she seemed to be frozen in horror. 

“This is  _ awesome,” _ Will whispered, his hand slipping out of Nico’s as he started to move forward. “Look at all those video games! Nico, can we take a break for a few minutes? I  _ really  _ wanna try that one.” 

He tried to take another step away, but Nico yanked him back by the sleeve of his shirt and told him, “No, not here, we have to--” 

“Hi there!” somebody said off to their left, causing Nico and Bianca to jump, though Will simply smiled and waved politely. “Welcome back to the Lotus Hotel, you two! How long will you be staying with us this time?”

Nico tugged on Bianca’s hand. She told the man, “Uh, sorry. Wrong hotel.” 

The man smiled creepily, almost menacingly, down at them. “Why, that can’t be right. We’ve missed you here, Miss di Angelo, and we already have your usual room ready and waiting for you! And what’s this--” He pulled a black credit card out of his pocket, and even without reading it, Nico knew that it had Bianca’s name printed across the front. “It’s your all expenses-paid card! I’m sure you’ve missed this just as much as we’ve missed you. So go on, take it, and we’ll have you three settled into your room in no time at all.” 

Nico watched in horror as Bianca’s hand started to rise, like she was actually going to take the man up on it, so Nico snatched the card away before she could. In the next second, he grabbed his sister and his friend and dragged them back out the door, then a few blocks down the road, just to be safe. 

The second they stopped moving, Bianca started sobbing. It took Nico only a moment to realize that, while it had been morning when they ran inside, it was now nearing sunset. Before he could mentally debate how much time could have possibly passed inside the lobby of the Lotus, Will turned on him and yelled, “What was that for? He was  _ offering _ us a room, for  _ free! _ We at least could’ve, like, spent the night and recharged!” 

Rather than stopping to argue, Nico focused on his sister, pulling her around the corner so that they were off the main sidewalk and had some semblance of privacy. She leaned back against a wall and slid to the ground, Nico following after her and resting his head on her shoulder. 

Will followed after them, though he stayed on his feet, frowning down at them. “What’s going  _ on?” _

“We’ve been there before,” Nico told him quietly. “It’s...not a good place.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Will asked. 

Nico glanced up at him. “Do you know what the date is?” 

Will’s frown deepened in frustration, and he shrugged. “I don’t know. June...sixteenth, maybe?”

Beside him, Bianca croaked, “What year?” 

“2005.” 

Nico flinched, and felt his sister beside him doing the same. They traded a look - of fear, of sadness, of understanding - then Bianca wiped her tears away. She took a deep breath before confessing, “The first time we went into that hotel, it was 1939.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! sorry bianca's still a jerk :\\\ hm and sorry will's also a jerk at the end


	7. They Find Out The Truth, Sort Of

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> folks!! this was my favorite chapter to write so far!!! also we're almost done!!! there should only be one more chapter for this "book" and hopefully it won't take me a million years to write it!!  
> enjoy!!  
> also nothing to do with nico's birthday but happy birthday nico!!

Bianca had flagged down a cab, then pried the credit card out of Nico’s hand when the driver refused to cart around three kids. He still seemed hesitant to take them all the way to Los Angeles, but Bianca had already shoved the two boys into the backseat. 

For the first half of the drive, Will wouldn’t stop asking questions about the 1930s, practically bouncing in his seat and firing off questions so fast that sometimes Nico and Bianca wouldn’t even have the chance to answer - not that they were all too eager to give anything away, anyway. Ever since arriving at camp, neither of them had had much memory of their time before the Lotus. Somehow, though, despite what Nico thought was pretty obvious discomfort on their part, Will kept asking away. 

Bianca finally shut him up eventually, claiming that if he didn’t stop, she was going to throw him out into the desert, and if he was lucky then they’d swing by and pick him up again on their way back to New York. Nico just hoped that their driver didn’t find anything usual about their conversation - at least not enough to alert the authorities. 

They dozed off for about an hour, Nico finding himself squished between two sleeping demigods as he watched the endless desert road out the windshield. Then, sometime in between blinks, Nico fell asleep as well, and woke to the sound of conversation. 

“What kind of responsible adult would I be if I let three kids wander the streets in the middle of the night?” the driver was telling them, twisted in his seat to look at them as he spoke. “Nah, I’m gonna take you to a police station or something.” 

“No, don’t!” Will shouted, and Bianca reached around Nico to shove at his shoulder. 

“What he means is,” Bianca started, “that’s really not necessary. My dad owns this recording studio, and he’s actually waiting for us, so it’s really fine if you just drop us off right here. Promise.” 

The driver still looked skeptical. “This building right here?” He pointed out the passenger window, glancing between it and the demigods. “Alright, but I’m gonna hang out right here until you all get inside, okay? And if you have any problems, I can drive you over to the nearest police station.” 

“Thank you, that’s very kind,” Bianca said as she pushed open the car door. It was a good thing that Nico was already awake beside her, even if he hadn’t done anything to make that clear, because she simply grabbed his arm and dragged him outside with her. Will followed behind out the same door and hurried to catch up with Bianca before she could open the door to the building. 

“Wait!” Will hissed.

“What?” Bianca asked, turning to face him with a hand on the door. “We can’t let that guy think there’s a problem.” 

“But...what do we do when we’re inside?” Will asked. “Aren’t we going to have to pretend that we’re, you know,  _ dead? _ They’re not just going to let us in otherwise!” 

“I guess we’ll see what happens,” Bianca replied, and ripped the door open. She led the way in, holding tightly to Nico’s hand as she walked inside, then came to a halt in the lobby. It was practically bursting with people despite the late hour, so much so that they could barely see across the room. 

Will stopped beside them and looked around, just as the two siblings were doing, though he seemed more confused than surprised. “It’s so...empty. I know it’s late and all, but I didn’t think it’d be  _ empty.” _

Nico and Bianca traded a look, just as one of the people walked straight through them. 

_ Right, _ Nico thought.  _ Ghosts. _

Bianca lifted her chin and walked across the room, though some of the shades though many seemed to part for them. They acted like they had some form of respect for Nico and Bianca, though they watched Will with confusion and disdain. Nico figured it was probably a good thing that Will couldn’t see them. 

Bianca stepped up to the counter and cleared her throat. “Um. Hello.” 

The man behind the counter raised an eyebrow, amused. “Can I help you?” 

“Yes,” she answered. “We’ve recently found ourselves, um. Dead.”

“Sure you have,” the man replied with a nod. “The di Angelos, right? And...friend. Your dad’s waiting for you downstairs.” He stood, revealing an expensive black suit, and started toward one corner of the room to a set of elevator doors. “My name is Charon. Right this way, please. Can’t keep the boss waiting.” 

“How did you know who we are?” Nico asked as Charon gestured for them to enter the elevator.

“I’ve been expecting you,” Charon replied, as if that was an answer. “And you’re clearly  _ not _ dead.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Nico saw Bianca elbowing Will in the side. 

“Hold on tight!” Charon announced as the doors shut in front of them, and suddenly they found themselves knocked off their feet. Nico landed hard on the wood plank seat of a boat, Will and Bianca in single file behind him while Charon stayed on his feet in front of them. He didn’t row the boat at all, just seemed to will it forward toward a black sand beach. 

Nico was distracted, studying the smooth fabric of the hooded robe that Charon’s suit had melted into, and jumped when the man spoke again. He’d turned to glance at Nico over his shoulder, though instead of a man, Nico only saw a skeleton underneath the hood. “Show me your sword, boy.” 

Nico scrambled to unsheath the weapon, holding it out for Charon to take. “This one?” he asked, as if he had  _ another _ sword to show off.

Charon took it from his hand, and with no hesitation at all, flung the sword into the river. 

“Hey!” Nico exclaimed. “What was that for?” 

Charon turned forward once more, and Nico couldn’t know for sure, but he thought the ferryman replied, “No cursed weapons beyond this point.” 

Nico turned back to Will and whispered, “Did he say  _ cursed?” _

Before Will could respond, the boat shuddered to a stop, and Charon announced, “Here we are. Watch your step. We wouldn’t want anyone taking an accidental dip, now, would we?” 

Nico wasn’t sure, but he thought Charon had looked past him to Will, but it was hard to tell since Charon didn’t exactly have  _ eyes. _ Nico climbed out of the boat onto a dock, offered a hand to help Will out, then the two boys pulled Bianca out together. 

“Which way do we go?” Bianca asked. 

“The palace won’t be difficult to locate,” Charon answered as he pushed off from the dock, and the boat started back across the river. 

Bianca huffed. “Well,  _ that _ wasn’t very helpful.”

Will replied, “I don’t think it needed to be.” He was facing away from the other two, and when Nico turned to see what Will was looking at, his jaw dropped. 

The palace was at least a mile away, but  _ massive, _ made from obsidian and gold. Even from such a distance, it seemed to loom over them - them, and the millions of shades that were filing through the gates of the Underworld. 

“I guess we go that way,” Nico said, and started walking. 

He noticed quickly that, while he and Bianca attempted to avoid any contact with the shades, Will simply walked straight through them. Like he didn’t see them at all. His suspicion was confirmed when they approached the gates after a few minutes and Nico and Bianca froze at the sight of the three headed dog Cerberus. Will, though--

“Will!” Nico exclaimed, lunging forward and grabbing at his backpack to yank him backwards, just as Cerberus’s left head swung down to snap at him. Will landed on his butt on the cracked, dry ground after being pulled off his feet by Nico.

“What was that for?” he demanded as he got back up.

Bianca gestured up toward Cerberus’s heads. “Do you not see the  _ giant dog?” _

_ “Dog?” _ Will repeated, spinning around with his eyes the size of dinner plates as he searched for the dog. “Where’s the puppy?” 

“Will,” Nico said, drawing his friend’s attention back to him. “Do you not see the ghosts?” 

Will frowned. “Do... _ you _ see ghosts?” 

“We don’t have time for this,” Bianca said with a roll of her eyes. “I’m going to try to distract Cerberus. Nico, try to get Will past without letting him get eaten.”

“Cerberus?” Will repeated, his eyes snapping toward the dog, though he still didn’t seem to register the monster. 

“It might be the Mist,” Nico explained. “Just try to focus, Will. Concentrate on seeing through the Mist, and look at Bianca.” 

Will squeezed his eyes shut for a count of three, and when they opened again, they opened  _ wide. _ “Oh, that’s a  _ big boy.” _

“You can see him?” Nico asked. “Can you see the ghosts?” 

It took a second for Will to tear his eyes away from Cerberus, but when he did, he flinched, then jumped to the side as a shade almost walked through him. “Where did these guys come from?” 

“They were here the whole time,” Nico replied, and grabbed Will’s arm. “C’mon, we should go while Bia has Cerberus distracted.” 

The boys started forward, hesitantly, watching as Bianca reached out toward Cerberus with an open palm. Cerberus placed his middle chin in her hand, and his tail started to wag. “Good boy,” Nico heard her say just before the dog’s right head licked her arm. 

Once they were behind him, Nico called back for his sister. He heard her promise to come back soon, and then she was running to her brother’s side. 

They still had a long walk ahead of them. They wandered through Asphodel, saw Elysium from afar, and walked along a cliffside that didn’t seem to have an end on the other side. 

“What’s down there?” Nico asked, trying to peer over the edge without getting any closer - not that he would have seen anything anyway, not with the thick fog that concealed whatever laid below. 

“Punishment?” Will offered. 

“No, that’s on the other side of the palace,” Bianca replied. “That’s… Whatever that is, it’s worse.” 

Nico moved away from the edge. 

When they reached the palace doors, the pair of skeletal guards outside welcomed them in. If vacant stares and subtle shifting could be considered  _ welcoming. _ The doors closed behind them with a thundering  _ boom. _

They continued straight ahead until they entered a grand throne room, where the floors were a solid black marble and the columns surrounding them were made from skulls of different animals - though, primarily, human. 

Nico wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he met his father, but this certainly wasn’t it. Hades looked like any other person, only deathly pale and wearing a toga so black it seemed to suck the color out of the room around him. He looked...like Nico. He looked like the person that Nico could easily become in another twenty years or so. 

Nico definitely didn’t expect his father to look  _ happy, _ but that definitely had to be due to the woman perched on the arm of his throne. She was the only splash of color in the room (aside from Will) with a dress that reflected every color of the surface’s summertime, curled auburn hair, and warm skin. She looked like she didn’t belong in such a cold, dark place, and it wasn’t until Nico saw the fond look in his father’s eyes that he realized who she was. 

The trio stopped a short distance from the throne, and Hades finally tore his eyes away from his wife to acknowledge them. “Children,” he greeted, and any kindness in his eyes vanished as he added, “and  _ guest.” _

“Be nice,” Persephone chided with a tap to her husband’s shoulder. 

“Persephone?” Will said with confusion in his tone, and he snapped his jaw shut after realizing that he’d spoken out of turn. “Sorry! Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting-- I mean, it’s  _ summer, _ so I thought--  _ Ow!” _ Bianca stomped on Will’s foot, forcing him to shut up.

“It’s alright, dear,” Persephone said kindly, and turned her gaze back to Hades. “I’m just here on a weekend trip to visit my husband while he’s in a  _ mood.” _

Hades huffed, not unlike the way Nico and Bianca tended to. “I am not--” Persephone raised an eyebrow, and Hades sighed. “Yes, dear.” Hades turned his attention back to the demigods. “Children,” he said again, this time apparently deciding to ignore Will altogether, “I believe this meeting is far overdue. I am...very happy to see you both again.” 

“Again?” Bianca repeated. “You’ve seen us before?” 

“Of course,” Hades answered. “I helped raise you before your mother...passed.” 

“What happened?” Nico asked. “To… To our mom, to  _ us.” _

Will nudged him with his elbow and whispered, “And the bolt.” 

“And Zeus’s bolt,” Nico added. 

Hades took a breath. “I suppose I should start at the beginning. You are familiar with the oath between my brothers and I?” Nico nodded. “I never broke it. Both of my brothers have, and their children have suffered because of it, but I had no desire to put either of you through that pain. The oath was made shortly after you were born, Nico, so Zeus believed that I had broken it. He tried to kill you, both of you, but I was able to protect you just before he struck. Your mother...was not so lucky.” 

Persephone set a comforting hand on Hades’s shoulder, and he covered it with one of his own. Nico found himself surprised by the gesture, having assumed that his step-mother would be upset hearing about her husband’s affair. Maybe seventy years had been enough time for her to get over it.

“I put you in the Lotus to protect you,” Hades continued. “He couldn’t see you there, because that place doesn’t exist in time the same way that the rest of the world does. However, recently, things have been... _ stirring, _ and I felt the need to pull you out. The timing wasn’t perfect, I know, but I had also hoped that you two would be able to clear my name after the Master Bolt disappeared.”

“Why couldn’t you just tell Zeus that you’re innocent?” Bianca asked. 

Hades scoffed. “You think anyone listens to  _ me? _ Of course not! And they certainly wouldn't believe me now that you’ve brought the bolt straight to me.” 

Nico choked on his next breath. “We did  _ what?” _

Hades raised an eyebrow, as if surprised that they didn’t already know. “You received a gift on your journey, yes?” 

Bianca slid the straps of her backpack off her shoulders and held it out toward Hades. “Ares gave this to us a few days ago.” 

He nodded to the bag. “Look inside.” 

She set the bag on the ground and knelt beside it as she unzipped the main pouch. Bianca reached inside and brought out a cylinder of blue electricity that absolutely radiated power. Her jaw dropped open at the sight, and she looked back to her father. “So… Ares--?”

“Please, as if he’s smart enough to plot something like that,” Hades replied. “No, it was not my nephew. I have my suspicions as to who could have--” He shook his head. “But it’s not possible. I cannot say, because even I can’t believe that it could be true.” 

Nico shifted his weight uneasily.

Hades waved a hand dismissively. “Please, dear, put that thing away. You will need to take it to Olympus right away, and you can’t let anything happen to it on your journey.” 

Bianca returned the bolt to her bag and stood. “But it took us so long to get here. How are we supposed to get back to Olympus before the solstice?” 

“I believe your friend here will be able to direct you,” Hades said, nodding toward Will. 

“Me?” Will squeaked. 

“The Underworld is connected to everything, all across the world. There is even an entrance a short distance from Olympus,” Hades told them. “The same doors that Orpheus used when he attempted to steal back Eurydice will be your exit. Please, children, feel free to use those doors to visit, whenever you’d like, at least until you both learn to master shadow travel. I would...very much like to see you both again. Under less stressful circumstances.” 

“Shadow travel?” Nico repeated. 

Hades hummed. “It would seem that you’ve already tried it once. Perhaps someday I’ll be able to teach you to focus your energy, so that you won’t collapse immediately afterwards.”

“You mean he really did teleport?” Will exclaimed, and Hades’s gaze hardened again. Will took half a step behind Nico. 

“We’ll walk you out,” Hades said as he rose from his throne, and offered a hand to Persephone to help her to her feet. “Please, follow me.” 

Hades started leading them out of the throne room through a side door, and as they entered a long hallway, Will grabbed Nico’s hand and hissed, “Should we be trusting him?” 

Nico frowned. “He’s my dad. He’s helping us.” 

Will didn’t seem entirely happy, but he nodded. He didn’t let go of Nico’s hand. 

“I understand that you don’t have your own cabin at camp, is that right?” Hades asked, glancing back at them over his shoulder. “You should know that if you ever tire of crowding in with the other campers, I have many empty rooms here. You could each have your own space. And you wouldn’t have to stay forever, even just a - what did you call it, dear? - weekend visit.” He opened another door and led them out of the palace. From there, they had a perfect view of the Fields of Punishment. 

They stepped out into a garden, and the pale, skeletal flora and fauna all seemed to turn toward them. Persephone stepped to the side to tend to her garden and allow her husband a moment to say goodbye. 

“Your exit is on the edge of Punishment,” Hades told them, pointing out across the palace grounds. “On the other side of Sisyphus’s hill, there is a set of stairs. Take those up to the surface.” He turned back to the demigods and set a hand on Bianca’s shoulder. “I really do hope to see you both again.” He pressed a kiss to the top of his daughter’s head, then turned to do the same to his son. 

Hades stepped back and held his hands behind his back, gazing down at them sternly. “But do not, under any circumstances, even  _ think _ about bringing any more sunny Apollo spawn into my realm, unless they are already dead.” 

Will squeezed Nico’s hand and moved to step behind Nico once more, but bumped into someone as he did so. 

Persephone wound an arm around Will’s shoulders from behind and set her chin on top of his head. “Oh, but dear, the plants  _ love _ him!” she said to her husband, and Nico watched as Will’s cheeks grew pink. “Can’t we keep him a little while longer?” 

Bianca grinned. “He’s all yours!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hades loves his kids!! you cannot tell me otherwise  
> thanks for reading!!


	8. The Prophecy Comes True

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello folks we're finally at the end!! this is the longest chapter to date and it kind of jumps all over the place in order to wrap everything up but i hope you like it!!

The Doors of Orpheus let them out into the middle of Central Park, and from there, Will did his best to lead the di Angelos to the Empire State Building. In his defense, he’d only ever been in the city once, and Argus had driven him and the rest of camp there in a camp van. 

When they got to the door, Bianca set a hand on Will’s shoulder to stop him from walking inside. She held the Lotus card out to him.

“You should go back to camp,” Bianca said. “We don’t know how Zeus is going to react, and we don’t need him getting angry at you and your dad when he’s only mad at ours right now. Trust me, Will, it’ll be safer for you this way.” 

Will took the card, looking dejected, though he nodded in acceptance. He kept his gaze on the ground as he said, “You’ll wanna go to the 600th floor. Ask the doorman for the key. He’s gonna be a real jerk, but don’t let that stop you. And…” He lifted his eyes and met Nico’s. “Find me when you get back to camp, okay? I’ll be...in the infirmary, probably, but maybe the pavilion, depending on what time it is, and if it’s after dark then I’ll be in my cabin, but--” 

Nico jumped forward and pulled Will into a hug. “Be careful.” 

Will hugged him back. “You too.” 

Will pulled away and glanced at Bianca, holding his arms out awkwardly. She punched him in the arm. “If you manage to get yourself killed between here and camp after the week we just had, I’ll find you in the Underworld and kill you again myself.”

Will nodded. “Noted.” He pushed forward for a hug that lasted no more than a second, and then he ran toward the street to hail a cab. 

With one hand, Bianca tightly gripped the strap of her backpack, and reached down to grasp Nico’s hand in the other. “C’mon, Nico, let’s pay our uncle a visit.”

Will had been right about the doorman giving them a hard time, but after Bianca threatened him with her knife, he handed over the keys and pointed them toward the elevator. After what seemed like half an hour, the doors finally opened, not into a building, but out onto a stone path that wove between lush green hills. 

Every building on Olympus was  _ white. _ White and bright with little bits of silver decorating everything that reflected the sun straight into Nico’s eyes. He wished he was back in the Underworld, and he’d barely even stepped foot in Olympus at that point. 

They followed the path to the palace, which was almost an exact replica of the one in the Underworld, only - of course - white and silver instead of black and gold. Nico hated it already. At least they had a good idea of where the throne room would be once they got inside. 

Zeus was much more unnerving than their father, having chosen to appear as a larger being while Hades had opted for a regular human height. Zeus towered over them and glared with so much force that Nico thought would kill them in an instant if he had his bolt. And Hera’s presence at his side was nowhere near as comforting as Persephone’s had been. 

“Hello, um,” Bianca started awkwardly, and then fell to her knees and bowed her head. She tugged Nico down beside her. “Uncle Zeus. We came to deliver your Master Bolt.” 

“Admitting guilt?” Zeus asked with a raised brow. 

“No, sir,” Bianca answered swiftly, and started removing her backpack. “We were set up. Ares gave us this bag during our quest, and it must have been...enchanted, somehow, so that the Bolt appeared after a certain amount of time.”

Zeus watched them for a second before replying, “Are you telling me that my own son stole my symbol of power? You do realize that it’s impossible for another god to do so.” 

“No, sir,” Bianca said again. “He was working with someone else.” 

_ “Who?” _

Bianca hesitated, so Nico answered, “We don’t know.”

“Our dad had a guess,” Bianca told him, “but he wouldn’t tell us what it was. He said it was impossible, and that he couldn’t believe it was true.” 

“And something about  _ things stirring,” _ Nico said, though he wasn’t sure why he chose to bring that up specifically. 

Something about it must have struck Zeus, though, because his eyes widened and he leaned back on his throne. He whispered something to his wife, whose expression turned to one of shock and fear, which definitely wasn’t making Nico feel any better. 

“Give me the Bolt,” Zeus said, holding out a hand. Bianca took the cylinder out of her bag and approached the throne, setting the Bolt in Zeus’s hand. “I shall let you both live, for now. Return to camp, mention nothing of this  _ stirring _ to anyone.”

Was that supposed to be their dismissal? 

Bianca seemed to think so, because she returned to Nico’s side, barely stopping to grab her back with one hand and Nico’s arm with the other as she left the throne room. “Not even a  _ thank you,”  _ she muttered as soon as they were out of the palace. 

They marched back in the direction of the elevator, though this time Nico caught himself watching the scenery as they went. There were nymphs and minor gods wandering about, and someone that looked an awful lot like… “Will?” Nico said before tripping over his next step. 

“What?” Bianca asked. “Did you say you saw Will? He followed us up here after I told him not to?” She sounded angry, and was scanning the horizon in the same direction Nico was looking. 

The Will look-alike appeared to notice them, and said goodbye to whoever he had been talking to. He jogged toward the demigods with a sunshiney grin, and it didn’t take Nico long to realize that this definitely  _ wasn’t _ Will. For one, his hair wasn’t quite as golden, and he lacked Will’s freckles. And he was a good foot and a half taller than Will. 

“Hey, di Angelos, right?” the man - probably a god, Nico’s brain supplied - greeted. “My son’s been praying non-stop for the last hour that I stop Dad from smiting you two, though I don’t know how he expected me to do that. But anyway, you made it out alive! That’s great!”

“Your...son?” Nico asked, feeling his face heating up at the attention the god was showing to him. That, and the fact that his chiton showed  _ much  _ more skin than it was probably supposed to. 

“Will!” he said, his face somehow lighting up even more at the name. “I’m Apollo, you know, god of the sun? And poetry, and healing, and blah blah, all that. Hey, thanks for keeping my baby safe out there on his first quest. Well, he’s not my  _ baby, _ but you know what I mean. My youngest. Well, my youngest  _ at camp. _ Anyway, he’s going to be really happy to see that you both made it back to camp safely. And trust me, I’m also the god of prophecy. I  _ know.” _

“I don’t suppose you  _ know  _ how we’re getting back to camp,” Bianca said. “I gave Will the rest of our money, because I didn’t know for sure that we would be leaving. So now we’re sort of stuck here.” 

Apollo thought about it for a second, tapping his chin with one index finger. Then, he reached behind himself and brought out a single gold coin. “This should be enough for a cab.” 

“Cabs take mortal money,” Nico pointed out. “Not drachmas.” 

Apollo grinned. “So don’t take a mortal cab!”

Nico was  _ not  _ a fan of the Gray Sisters. He almost puked in the back of their cab more than once in the ten minute drive - which was supposed to be closer to an  _ hour. _ Nico and Bianca stumbled over Half Blood Hill, still struggling to regain their bearings. Once he could finally see camp, Nico’s eyes started scanning for Will. 

He ran at full speed toward the infirmary. 

Nico burst through the door, his eyes wild and searching. There were blond sons of Apollo inside, all looking at him with startled expressions, but none of them were Will. Finally, Lee grinned and said, “Hey, Nico, he’s--” 

_ “Nico?” _ Will’s voice came from across the infirmary, and he practically flew out of the storage room. In a second, Nico was nearly knocked off his feet with the force of Will’s hug. “You’re okay! I was so worried, I kept praying, and you’re okay!” 

“I’m okay,” Nico said with a giddy laugh, closing his arms around Will and tucking his face into his friend’s shoulder. 

Suddenly, Will pulled back, just a few inches. “Wait, and Bianca?” 

Nico nodded. “She’s okay.” 

Will hugged him again. 

After a few moments, Lee approached them and ruffled Will’s curls. “Alright, Will, let the boy breathe.” Will released Nico reluctantly and took a step back, but he took Nico’s hand instead. Lee turned to Nico and set a hand on his shoulder. “Glad to see you again, Nico! Any injuries I should know about before we go talk to Chiron?”

Nico squeezed Will’s hand, then shook his head. 

“Alright, then let’s go get Bianca, and we’ll have Chiron call a head counselor meeting,” Lee said, then turned to Will and winked. “You’re in charge until I get back.” 

The counselor meeting was just as uncomfortable as the first, if not more. It was clear that the other counselors still weren’t very fond of the di Angelos, but they were interested to hear about the quest - especially when Nico slipped up and mentioned the  _ stirring _ again. There was a short debate over who Ares might have been working with, though Chiron had seemed thoroughly uneased, and ended the meeting early, insisting that Nico and Bianca needed rest. They were shuffled into their room in the Big House and left alone.

It made Nico feel trapped. 

When they got to their room, though, Nico spotted gifts on each of their beds - wrapped, but in a way that showed exactly what was underneath. He figured it was probably difficult to wrap a sword without making it  _ look like _ a sword. 

There was a note left beside the sword that Nico couldn’t decipher, so he handed it off to Bianca to read for him. 

_ Dear Nico, _

_ I understand that your visit has left you unarmed, so I had your sword fished out of the Styx. The river has wiped away the curse placed upon it, and has transformed the blade from Celestial Bronze to Stygian Iron. This new blade is equally effective against monsters, though it has other properties that I would be happy to teach you of in person. The offer to visit again still stands, and I can ensure that you will receive the best training Elysium has to offer. _

_ I hope to see you again soon. _

_ Your Father _

Bianca received a similar note, alongside a new knife and a bow. The blade of her knife, the heads of her new set of arrows, and the blade of Nico’s sword were all made from the same black material. Almost like obsidian, though it didn’t reflect light, and it was freezing cold to the touch. 

Nico couldn’t wait to try it out. 

He and Bianca had sword practice in the arena with the Hephaestus cabin about a week later. Just about everyone from cabin nine wanted to get a closer look at Nico’s sword, though he didn’t want to let anyone touch it until he learned about those  _ other properties _ that Hades had mentioned. He wasn’t going to be responsible for… For sucking out somebody’s soul, or something. 

When Beckendorf asked, though, Nico found he couldn’t outright deny him. He had  _ made _ the sword, after all, even if it had been changed since then. Beside, Beckendorf was actually Nico’s  _ friend, _ unlike most of the Hephaestus cabin. Sure, everyone had started warming up to Nico and Bianca by then, but Beckendorf had been there from the beginning. Sort of. 

He was no Will, is what Nico was trying to say. 

So, when Beckendorf asked to try out Nico’s sword, Nico had refused. And when Beckendorf came back with, “How about later, during free time? We can go out into the woods, so no one has to know.” And Nico figured, as long as nobody could see that he was playing favorites, then it was probably okay. 

Which was how Nico found himself sneaking off with his sword just after dinner, making his way into the woods in the direction of Zeus’s fist. Beckendorf was already in the woods waiting for him, a few cans of Coke on the ground next to the rock he was sitting on. He smiled when he saw Nico. 

“Hey, man, I was starting to think you’d ditched me,” Beckendorf joked. He reached down for one of the cans. “You want a Coke?” 

“Bianca says I shouldn’t have sugar,” Nico told him. 

Beckendorf tossed him the can. “She doesn’t have to know.” He cracked open his own can, and nodded to the scabbard at Nico’s hip. “So, you gonna let me see that thing, or what?” 

Nico pulled the sword out of its sheath and stepped closer to Beckendorf to hand it over. The son of Hephaestus stood, then nodded toward the rock he’d been sitting on for Nico to use as he started to move away. 

“It’s really well-made,” Beckendorf said, testing the weight in his hand and eyeing the blade to make sure the lines were all straight.

“You made it,” Nico reminded him, and Beckendorf shot him a confused look. “It’s the same sword I left camp with. My dad, uh-- Apparently, if you dip a sword in the Styx, it comes out like...that.” 

Beckendorf took a few practice swings into open air, then came back to Nico. He handed the sword back, and reached around Nico for his own scabbard, on the ground behind the rock. “Why would he dip it in the Styx?” he asked, moving away again. “Did he say?” 

Nico hesitated. The sword had been cursed, but Nico didn’t know when that could’ve happened, since it never left his side after he left camp. Which meant it must have been cursed before he left… Surely not all curses were bad, if it had been cursed at camp. “He said it was...cursed.” 

Beckendorf nodded, like he wasn’t surprised, then gripped the hilt of his own sword. “Well, not all curses are bad, you know. I just made a new sword for myself, complete with a few curses of its own. Wanna see?” He didn’t even give Nico a chance to nod before he pulled it from the sheath. 

The sword was easily a foot longer than Nico’s, and it reflected the sun almost blindingly compared to Nico’s. The blade was split down the middle, one half Celestial Bronze, and the other half something closer to silver.

“It’s really difficult to forge these two metals together,” Beckendorf was saying. “It took quite a few curses just to keep this thing from busting apart with a single hit, but it’s definitely worth it.”

“What is it?” Nico asked.

Beckendorf grinned. “I call it Backbiter. Half Celestial Bronze, half steel.”

Nico flinched. “Steel? But we’re not supposed to--” 

“And whose rule is that?” Beckendorf cut in. “Chiron’s? Do you really think he knows what’s best for us?”

Nico ducked his head and shrugged, flicking at the pop top on the can without opening it. 

Beckendorf kneeled down in front of Nico, setting a hand on his shoulder. “Nico, the gods make all sorts of rules for us to pretend that they care, when really, they’re just trying to keep us in line. They don’t realize that, together, we’re  _ way _ more powerful than them. You’re going to be the most powerful demigod in the world someday, kid, and the gods are just going to keep piling on more rules to keep you from taking them down. Why should you have to reign it in when they never do?” 

Nico frowned, and said the first words that came to mind. “My dad cares about me.” 

Beckendorf gave him a sympathetic smile. “He doesn’t.” 

“He  _ does,”  _ Nico shouted, shoving Beckendorf’s hand away. “He told me himself, and he wants me to come back to the Underworld!” 

“So he can trap you there,” Beckendorf said, rising to his feet to tower over the younger demigod. “He knows how powerful you could become.” He held out a hand to Nico, though his other hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. “Look, Nico. I’m leaving camp, and I want you to come with me.  _ I _ can help you train. We can find every other demigod before they make it to camp, and we can build up an army against the gods.” 

“Why would I want to fight  _ against _ the gods?” Nico asked, eyes flickering between Beckendorf’s face and his sword. “The gods  _ help.  _ It’s the monsters that we have to fight!” 

Beckendorf raised his sword to Nico’s chin. “I thought you trusted me, Nico. I came to  _ you _ because I thought we were  _ friends! _ Are you really going to make me kill you? What do you think will happen to Bianca? Will she join me when I tell her that your dad sent another hellhound to take you out? Or will I have to kill her, too?” 

Nico’s sword was in his hand without him realizing that he’d even picked it up. “Don’t touch my sister!” he screamed, and lunged blindly. Beckendorf parried his strike easily, and Backbiter sliced through Nico’s skin, just beneath his ribs. Beckendorf yanked the sword back, tugging Nico forward with it and knocking him off balance. Nico dropped to his knees.

“It didn’t have to come to this, Nico,” Beckendorf said as Nico clutched at the wound in his stomach. “Hopefully Bianca won’t choose to fight.” 

Then he was gone.

Nico didn’t hear him walk away (probably due to the pounding of blood in his ears) and he couldn’t see any sign of Beckendorf around him (though there were black stops in the corners of his eyes that were moving inward). The only thing that Nico found around him was his sword. With one hand still holding pressure on his stomach, Nico reached for his sword, then used it somewhat like a crutch as he pulled himself toward the nearest shadow. He would never make it back into central camp on his own two feet, and he still didn’t know how the whole  _ teleportation _ thing worked, but he had to try. 

Hades had said something about shadows, so that’s where Nico went. And instead of crawling onto solid ground, he slipped through the earth, reappearing in the shadow of the Apollo cabin. 

And he passed out.

Nico’s stomach hurt. Not like he’d eaten something he shouldn’t have, but like he’d pulled a muscle. Or a  _ lot _ of muscles. Or like someone else had tried to pull his muscles  _ out of his body. _

He opened his eyes. He was in the infirmary, and there was a familiar head of blond hair resting on the cot at Nico’s side. Will’s hand was gripping Nico’s hand tightly in his own, despite how heavily he was sleeping. 

“Charlie…” Nico whispered, suddenly remembering what had happened. He tugged on Will’s hand, but the other boy didn’t move. “Will--  _ Bianca!” _

The curtain around his bed shifted, and one of Will’s brother’s poked his head in. Michael, Nico thought after a second. He was one of the only children of Apollo that didn’t have their father’s golden hair. He didn’t smile much, either, and those two facts had always caused Nico to have a hard time believing that he and Will could be related, let alone brothers. 

Michael crossed to Nico, setting a hand on his shoulder with a stern, “Don’t move. Will put a lot of work into keeping you alive, and he won’t be happy if you mess that up.” He glanced down at his younger brother with the beginnings of a fond smile. “He healed you all by himself. And knocked himself right out.” 

“Where’s Bianca?” Nico demanded. “Beckendorf, he--”

“She’s okay,” Michael cut in. “She wouldn’t leave your side when you suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and Chiron just took her to grab some lunch. They’ll be right back.” 

“And Beckendorf?” Nico asked.

Michael frowned. “What about him? I haven’t seen him since dinner last night.” 

“He stabbed me,” Nico said, feeling his body starting to shake at the memory. “He said he was going to kill me, and that he was gonna kill Bia next. He’s-- He’s running away to build an  _ army!” _

Michael’s eyes widened. “Woah, dude, uh. Maybe you should wait for Chiron to come back before you start talking about stuff like that.” 

_ “Betrayed by a friend,” _ Nico mumbled to himself. “The prophecy...it wasn’t over yet.” 

Nico and Bianca were kept under close surveillance for the rest of the summer, and Beckendorf never showed his face again. Nico wasn’t sure how many people had heard the truth, but it seemed like there was something of a divide at camp. There were the people who were on Nico’s side - the Apollo cabin, a bunch of Will’s friends, and a few who had befriended Bianca at some point or another - and the people who were in some way loyal to Beckendorf. Nico wondered how many of those people were going to disappear, and end up as part of Beckendorf’s “army.” 

By the end of the summer, Nico felt more welcomed at camp than he ever had before. He had friends, more than just Will, and he didn’t feel like so much of an outsider. He was  _ happy, _ and he was excited to stay at camp, until one day in August when Will sat him down by the lake and announced that he was going home to Texas for the school year. 

“I’ve been at camp year-round for the last two years,” Will told him. “I miss my mama, and my grandparents. We all agreed that I would be safer here, but after going on that quest… I think I’ll be able to keep myself safe out in the real world, too.” 

Nico felt ice in the scar on his stomach. “But…  _ Charlie.” _

Will’s expression dropped. “I know. But Nico, you have to know that I would  _ never _ go with him after what he did to you.” 

“But he could  _ hurt you.” _

Will shook his head. “I won’t let him get close enough. I’m fast, I can outrun him no problem. Besides, once you figure out your teleporting thing, you can come check up on me.” Will bumped Nico with his shoulder. “I know you’ll keep me safe.” 

“I don’t...know how it works,” Nico told him.

“You’ll figure it out! While I’m with my mama, you can go visit your dad, and he can teach you all sorts of stuff,” Will said. “And when you come back to camp, you can sneak onto the computer in the Big House and email me about all the cool stuff you’ve done!” 

Nico pouted down at the grass. “I don’t know what that means.” 

“I’ll show you,” Will promised.

“And…” Nico hesitated. “Beckendorf, he said… He said that my dad doesn’t really want me to visit. He said that Hades is just going to lock me up so I can never get powerful enough to fight back against him.” 

Will’s expression darkened at the mention of Beckendorf, and he sighed in frustration. “Well, he wasn’t there, and  _ I  _ was. I saw how much your dad wants you to visit him, and how much he wanted to help you learn stuff. I wish  _ my _ dad would tell me stuff like that, but I’ve never even met him.” 

“I have,” Nico said.

“What?” Will asked. “When?” 

“On Olympus. He said you were praying that Zeus wouldn’t kill us,” Nico told him. “He thanked us for keeping you safe on the quest, and he gave us money to get back to camp. He… You look a lot like him. He called you his baby.” 

Will’s nose scrunched up. “That’s...embarrassing. He really said that?”

Nico nodded. “You know, if you go away for school, then you might not be the youngest when you come back.” 

Will’s eyes widened. “What? Did he tell you that? Do I have more siblings?” 

“He said you were his youngest at camp,” Nico replied. “He… He didn’t  _ say _ anything, but he implied it.” 

“Woah,” Will said, glancing out toward the lake. Then, he shoved at Nico’s arm. “You’re just saying that because you don’t want me to leave! You think I’ll stick around just for the _ chance _ that I get a new sibling.”

“Well...won’t you?” 

Will laughed. “And then what am I supposed to do all winter when you’re in the Underworld with your dad?”

“Who says I’m gonna do that?” 

“You’d be stupid not to.” 

Nico shoved him. “Maybe you’re stupid for going to  _ school.” _

“I’m definitely gonna be if I don’t.” He grinned at Nico, poking him in the stomach near the place where he’d been stabbed. “Now that I know I’m such an awesome healer, I’ve decided that I’m gonna be a doctor someday, so I  _ have _ to go to school.”

Nico grabbed Will’s hand to stop the poking. “Promise me you’ll be careful? And Iris Message me if Beckendorf shows up. I don’t care if I don’t know how the shadow travel stuff works yet. I’ll figure it out, and I’ll come get you.” 

Will squeezed his hand. “Maybe you can come visit for Christmas. Don’t let me leave camp without giving you my email address, okay? And my home address. And my mama’s phone number!” 

The end of summer came a week later. Some of the campers wouldn’t be leaving for a few more days, but Will was set to leave right after breakfast. He’d given Nico about six different ways to contact him during the school year, and he’d sneaked Nico into the Apollo cabin to help him pack the day before. 

At breakfast, Chiron enlisted the dryads to hand out clay beads to every one of the campers. The beads were small, but Nico could make out the design of a white angel on the black surface. The di Angelos, Chiron had announced,  _ the angels.  _

Nico and Bianca helped each other with their necklaces, and after breakfast, Nico gave Will one last hug before he was shuffled off toward the van that would take him and a few other campers to the airport. 

Nico sat on the top of Half Blood Hill in the shade of Percy’s willow tree and watched the van drive away. Then he stayed a little while longer, until finally pulling himself to his feet and heading back to the Big House to pack a bag. 

He was going to see his dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!  
> i do intend to continue on with this au, so if there are any specific scenes from other pjo books that you'd like me to write, please leave them in the comments or send me an ask on tumblr!!

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!!  
> check out solangeloweek on tumblr for more solangelo stuff!! and if you have any scene suggestions 👀👀👀👀 i'd like to write this as chronologically as possible but 👀👀👀👀 im open to ideas (scenes from canon only pls)


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